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Potential signs of recession

When it comes to economic indicators, the big national metrics don’t always reflect what is happening in ordinary households. But families certainly understand what it means for them if they are forced to rely more on credit cards to get by. According to WalletHub’s “States with Largest and Smallest Credit Card Debt Increases,” released this month, Ohio has the eighth-largest credit card debt increase in the country in the second quarter. In the Buckeye State, the average credit card debt increased by $858,373 from Q1. The average household in the state owes $9,352 in credit ...

Let us honor by strengthening our resolve

Though the sense of urgency associated with observing the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the U.S. has faded a bit in recent years, we have still observed Patriot Day every September 11 as a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims. For some, it has become a day of service to their communities to honor the lives of the 2,977 who were lost. For most, the day still stirs up memories of streets lined with U.S. flags and a country united as patriots — determined to stand strong in the face of those who loathed what we said we stood for nearly a ...

Jump through the hoops to protect you and your family

Changes in guidance out of Washington, D.C., have left many confused about the accessibility of COVID booster shots this fall. There are questions about eligibility, insurance, and even where a patient can get the vaccine. Axios tried to unravel the mystery and found states falling into three categories (they used one pharmacy chain, CVS, as the test): unavailable, available without a prescription and prescription required for specific age groups. West Virginia falls into the latter category — prescription required. But in Ohio, the shots are available without a prescription. ...

Community celebrates Sternwheel festival

As boats began to leave Marietta, residents and visitors alike were still basking in the glow of yet another successful annual Ohio River Sternwheel Festival. It’s the kind of event that has been reminding us for nearly 50 years what is so special about our little riverside community. Perhaps cooler weather helped boost crowd sizes as the number of visitors to downtown swelled. “The crowd was as good as it has ever been,” said Fireworks Chairman Dennis Blauser. Sternwheel captains, too, enjoy the festival and sense of community they get from the event each year. “I’ve ...

Crucial need for expansion

As the most obvious economic development in Ohio is data centers and server farms — necessary, but not exactly providing a lot of jobs while they place a greater burden on our energy infrastructure — lawmakers are looking for new ways to make sure those hungry facilities get all the electricity they need. The growing demand is creating the possibility of energy shortages, prompting lawmakers to come up with energy efficiency and energy generation ideas. “Until we get new baseload built, there is still not enough energy,” state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland, told the ...

North Star deserves praise and grace

While plenty of politicians claim they are pursuing the agendas they do because they want to protect children, organizations such as the North Star Child Advocacy Center are actually doing just that. And in the first half of 2025, they are seeing an increase in the need for their work. Serving Wood, Wirt, Ritchie, Pleasants and Calhoun counties in West Virginia — as well as doing some work for other counties in the Mountain State and in Ohio — North Star has conducted 14 more forensic interviews between January and June 2025 than during the same period the year before. So far ...